The NGI system, after three years of development, is billed by the FBI as a new breakthrough for criminal identification and data-sharing between law enforcement agencies.

"This effort is a significant step forward for the criminal justice community in utili... (more)

Snowden: New Zealand’s Prime Minister Isn’t Telling the Truth About Mass Surveillance
posted 09/16/2014, 2:23 AM (The Intercept)[Category: Big Brother/Orwellian]Like many nations around the world, New Zealand over the last year has engaged in a serious and intense debate about government surveillance. The nation’s prime minister, John Key of the National Party, has denied that New Zealand’s spy agency GCSB engages in mass surveillance, mostly as a means of convincing the country to enact a new law vesting the agency with greater powers. This week, as a national election approaches, Key repeated those denials in anticipation of a report in The Intercept ... (more)

France: Facebook Users Stand Trial For Anti-Speed Camera Posts
posted 09/10/2014, 7:44 PM (TheNewspaper)[Category: Big Brother/Orwellian]Fifteen Facebook users in France will have to wait until December to find out whether a criminal court judge deems them to be illegal radar detectors. A packed courtroom in the southern town of Rodez heard the case against the leaders of the 10,000-member page "The group that tells you where the police are in Aveyron on Tuesday. Officials were infuriated by the memes posted on the page mocking automated ticketing and warning members where speed traps in the area are lurking. The charges were fil... (more)

EU Bans Powerful Vacuum Cleaners
posted 08/26/2014, 8:41 AM (The Guardian)[Category: Big Brother/Orwellian]The European commission believes the new regulations will mean better vacuum cleaners for consumers. European commission spokeswoman for energy Marlene Holzner said in a blog: "As a result of the new EU eco-design and labelling regulations, consumers will also get better vacuum cleaners. In the past, there was no legislation on vacuum cleaners and companies could sell poorly performing vacuum cleaners."... (more)

Friday August 22nd, 2014

Your Silence Confesses Your Guilt
posted 08/22/2014, 6:18 AM (Wendy McElroy)[Category: Big Brother/Orwellian]On June 17, 2013, the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) further eroded one of the most potent protections Americans had against unfettered authority: the right to remain silent. In Salinas v. Texas, SCOTUS ruled that a defendant's refusal to answer police questions before his arrest and before being Mirandized could be admitted into court as substantive evidence of his guilt. If such a defendant did not explicitly invoke the Fifth Amendment, then he had effectively waived it.

The Worst Trolls On The Internet Are The Government Trolls
posted 07/16/2014, 1:46 AM (Michael Snyder)[Category: Big Brother/Orwellian]We have all run into them. All over the Internet, there are horrible trolls that seem to delight in making life miserable for other people. But the worst trolls of all are the government trolls. And thanks to Edward Snowden, we now have some startling new evidence of what really goes on behind the scenes. According to newly revealed documents, British spy agency GCHQ is manipulating online discussions, infiltrating the computers of specific targets, purposely destroying reputations, altering... (more)

I wonder if US government view bots had anything to do with the Kony 2012 campaign?

- Two servers in Germany - in Berlin and Nuremberg - are under surveillance by the NSA.
- Merely searching the web for the privacy-enhancing software tools outlined in the XKeyscore rules causes the NSA to mark and track the IP address of the person doing the search. Not only are German privacy software users tracked, but the source code shows that privacy software users worldwide are tracked by the NSA.
- Among ... (more)

Getting directions on the road from Google Maps and other smartphone apps is a popular alternative to the expensive navigation aids included in some cars. The apps are also a gray area when it comes to laws banning the use of cellphones or texting while driving.

Now the Pentagon is developing a new, innovative brain chip to treat PTSD in soldiers and veterans that could bring sweeping new changes to the way depression and an... (more)

More accurate title would be military wasting taxpayer money on brain chips to maybe, possibly treat PTSD, after a few more million, perhaps. A better solution would be stop sending the soldiers to fight in wars where they're the bad guys. - Chris

The machines, previously used to digitally strip search people who have had all their rights taken away by the authorities, are now being used to… digitally strip search people who have had all their rights taken away by the authorities.

According to documents provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, the surveillance is part of a top-secret system – code-named SOMALGET – that was implemented without the knowledge or consent of the Bahamian government. Instead, the agency appears to have used access legally obtained in cooperation with the U.S... (more)

A few years back, the White House had a brilliant idea: Why not create a single, secure online ID that Americans could use to verify their identity across multiple websites, starting with local government service

Apple, Google, Samsung and Microsoft, along with the five biggest cellular carriers in the United States, are among those that have signed on to a voluntary program announced Tuesday by the industry's largest trade group.... (more)